134 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Warmth the surface had received from the sun, together 
with looseness and mellow state of the ground, thereby 
admitting more air and rays of the sun, and rain, to pro¬ 
mote the chemical action of the manure, which also had 
become warm from the sun? 
Many farmers think fall ploughing best: others plough 
in the fall to forward their spring work: and others, 
who have tried it, think fall ploughing very injurious. 
I am not a farmer, and cannot give experiments. What 
I say on the subject is theory and observation. 
It has been the practice of some farmers to make a 
dung heap, and let the dung rot for a year or more, be¬ 
fore applying it to the land. Such manure retains all 
the earthy part, which I suppose the least valuable, and 
is in a delightful state to breed and feed grubs and other 
worms, to be carried with it into the field, and feed on 
the young plants. The grubs could not live in the early 
dung heap, while the heat and caustic gases are let loose 
by chemical action, causing the decomposition. 
My observation has induced me to believe, that all 
manures produce their greatest effect on vegetable 
growth, when decomposed under the surface of the 
ground. Heat and moisture are the great moving cau¬ 
ses of vegetation, and promote vegetable and animal 
growth. Without heat, we and every thing would be 
as adamant, as marble. All organized matter is has¬ 
tened in its decomposition by chemical heat. The 
heated gases let loose during decomposition, I conceive, 
are good nourishment to, and great promoters of, vege¬ 
table life. The coarsest manure, even new straw, if 
ploughed under, will probably furnish the most nutri- 
menl, and best for Indian corn and potatoes, for the first 
season, and leave all the value of the manure of the 
dung heap for the next year’s nutriment for wheat, and 
other vegetables or small roots,—so that the whole va¬ 
lue of vegetable manure is obtained by ploughing under 
the coarse manure, and nothing is lost: which I sup¬ 
pose is nearly twice as much as when rotted in the dung 
heap; and more than when left on the surface of the 
ground. 
I suppose that double the usual quantity of potatoes 
may be produced on an acre as are ordinarily raised, 
(particularly on alluvial ground, where the soil is rich 
and apt to pack hard,) by ploughing under so much as 
can be covered by the plough of coarse vegetable ma¬ 
nure ; even pea and rye straw, if the ground be plough¬ 
ed deep and in narrow furrows, to make it perfectly fine 
and loose. The coarse manure keeps the ground loose, 
and enables the roots to extend,—retains moisture, so 
necessary to the growth of potatoes; and the gases let 
loose, stimulate the plants to vigorous growth. If these 
remarks meet the approbation of some farmers of libe¬ 
ral views, who believe that some improvements may 
yet be made in agriculture, I hope the experiment may 
be made, and reported in the Cultivator. By this mode 
of culture, I suppose the greatest possible produce of 
potatoes may be had. 
Man is called a reasonable being, and he is so: that 
is, he has the faculties of reason given to him, and yet 
there exists not so unreasonable an animal as man. 
I stated to you in a former communication, the manner 
of the great gifts of the Creator to man above other 
animals, in improving the volume and faculties of the 
brain after birth: yet man, with all these gifts and fa¬ 
culties, is guilty of the greatest aberrations from duty, 
by omission and commission, in disobedience, in idleness 
and obstinacy, in refusing to cultivate and improve 
them. 
What a wonderful and heinous crime was committed 
by our first parents, so to offend their Maker, as to en¬ 
tail so many and so painful diseases and death on all 
their progeny, even the innocent and amiable little che¬ 
rubs of infancy and youth! It was disobedience. As 
we shall have to account for all these gifts and faculties, 
let us be obedient and active in their improvement, to 
the honor of the great donor, and our own profit; and 
not say we have no time, and that there is no improve¬ 
ment to be made, like the servant “ who rolled his ta¬ 
lent in a napkin and buried it in the earth.” 
We despise the reptile and little insects, because we 
are too indolent in observing their obedience to the 
Great Spirit, who whispers his laws to their inward 
ear; and how strictly they obey by industry and im¬ 
provement of the talents committed to them. 
See the little despised caterpillar, in her winged state, 
not carelessly depositing her eag for her future proge¬ 
ny, on a fence, the ground, or even on the trunk of the tree 
on which it is to feed, when called into active life in the 
future spring. No, with more skill than man ordinarily 
uses, sheseeks a suitablelree, and deposites her eggs on 
the twig, near to a bud, where the leaves must shoot out 
by the genial warmth of the vernal sun, a little before 
it has wakened the egg into active life, ready for its 
food. Can she do any thing with more design and in¬ 
telligence? So the honey bee builds its cell for the de- 
posite of the honey, its food, and birth place and cradle 
of its future young, with the greatest possible economy 
for strength and space. No shape but the hexagon can 
furnish the greatest and most useful space and strength 
of structure. The bee has not to learn this by appren¬ 
ticeship; its faculties are complete at its birth. They 
are natural mechanics, of the highest order, and all the 
workers understand and apply their labor alike. So 
the little mason bee, after perforating the hard cemented 
wall, to deposite its eggs, adds a store of food, and then 
closes the cradle with a door of moistened clay, to shut 
out enemies. The food is deposited with as much de¬ 
sign, and probably intelligence, as man provides for his 
offspring, because the insect knows its young must feed 
while a helpless nymph or aurelia. You call this in¬ 
stinct. What is instinct? It is the knowledge of the 
law given by the Great Spirit, and obedience thereto 
Would to God than man cultivated his faculties so in¬ 
dustriously, and obeyed so faithfully and certainly. 
These evidences in the insect family show their strict 
obedience to the commands of their maker; yet a mis¬ 
take or interruption by man,* or other means, may be 
fatal to them ; as their faculties are complete at birth, 
they have not the gift of reason and reflection to im¬ 
prove and repair damages, as reasonable man can; and 
they will not be called to account for that which was 
not committed to them. 
Should rational man alone be guilty of wasting such 
precious gifts in idleness? No, man, to whom much 
has been given, of him more will be required. 
The Good Spirit has bestowed on him greater powers 
of intellect, with wonderful faculties of reasoning and 
improvement, that he might be constantly employed in 
providing sustenance for himself and family. Most 
judiciously given, that he should not be idle. And 
enough is given, that he should not say that he has no 
leisure to contemplate and worship the giver with gra¬ 
titude and joy. There is no age nor state of man, 
when he can say there is nothing more to be done or 
learned. 
Being desirous of improving the agricultural inte¬ 
rests, and believing your Cultivator to be eminently cal¬ 
culated to aid that laudable object, I have accordingly 
given you some of my cogitations. I am a merchant, 
and if I have an interval from business or conversation 
of three minutes only, I take a book ora pen, and never 
waste a fragment of time. As cents added make dol¬ 
lars, so minutes make hours. My offerings to you are 
a sacrifice, and not the product of leisure. I offer them as 
a setting pole to you in your arduous duties. When I 
write what you judge may not be of relief to you, nor 
of use to the public, cast them under your table. Most 
respectfully, DAVID TOMLINSON. 
Schenectady, Jug. 14, 1839. 
How to pickle Tomatoes. 
Pickle tomatoes in September, when they are just ripe 
(red.) Pul them in layers in a jar with garlick, mus¬ 
tard seed, horse-radish, spices, See. as you like; filling 
up the jar; occasionally putting a little fine salt propor- 
tionably to the quantity laid down; and which is in¬ 
tended to pieserve the tomato. When the jar is full, 
pour on the tomato cold cider vinegar, (it must be pure) 
till all is covered; and then cork up tight, and set away 
for winter. 
DAILY USE OF THE TOMATO. 
1. Cut: up with salt, vinegar and pepper, (as you do 
cucumbers) and eat away as fast as you can. 
HOW TO STEW TOMATOES. 
2. Take your tomato from the vine, ripe ; slice up; put 
in a pot over the fire without water; stew them slow, 
and when just done put in a small lump of fresh butter, 
and eat as you do apple sauce. What you have left, 
put away in a jar for winter. 
3. When stewed, beat up half dozen fresh new laid 
eggs, the yolks and whites separate; when each are well 
beaten, mix them with the tomato,—put them in a pan, 
and heat them up; you have a fine tomato omelet. C. 
Remarks on the Grain Worm. 
Princeton, Schenectady co. August, 1839. 
Mr. Buel —Dear Sir—The early sowed barley has 
suffered more than usual this season, from the ravages 
of the grain worm, which may be owing to the fact, that 
there was very little grain of any other description, in 
this vicinity, in a proper state of forwardness at the 
time the parent fly made its appearance. There was 
no winter wheat sowed. Rye was beyond their reach, 
and spring wheat, except a few pieces, too early sowed, 
had not yet headed out. The early pieces of spring 
wheat have been much injured. It is worthy of remark, 
that in the immediate neighborhood of fields on which 
winter wheat was raised last year, (and of course de¬ 
stroyed,) the destruction is much greater this season, 
than it is generally in other places. The fly seems to 
prefer the wheat to every other kind of grain; it never 
escapes if in a proper slate for their purpose. Rye is 
their next choice—then barley when neither of the others 
can be obtained. As far as I know, the grain worm 
has not yet been detected in any other kind' of grain 
than the above. The experience of several years has 
taught us that the injury to spring wheat will be avoid¬ 
ed, if noi sowed sooner than the 15th or 20th of May, 
and that a good return may be realized. Rye, if sowed 
early, on land in good condition, will also escape, if it 
has not, from some cause, been retarded in its growth. 
The two-rowed barley, likewise, by delaying the sow¬ 
ing for a short period, will be out of the time of the fly; 
it is the early sowed only that is injured. I think the 
four-rowed, if sowed early, will escape—at least I have 
never detected the grain worm in it. Would it not, then, 
be well for our farmers, as far as the grain worm ex¬ 
tends, to sow only such kinds of grain, and those kinds 
at such a time as will insure their escape from the rava¬ 
ges of that insect ? Were such a measure simultane¬ 
ously carried into effect, I have no doubt but that, in a 
short time, the gram worm would either entirely disap¬ 
pear, or become so reduced in numbers that their ef¬ 
fects would be little observed. 
When propagation ceases, the species whether ani¬ 
mal or vegetable must soon beebme extinct. Now cer¬ 
tain grains in a certain state of forwardness must be 
ready for the parent fly to deposite its young, which 
grain is the aliment of the grain worm for a time, and 
if these can by any means be withheld, it is reasonable 
to suppose tnat the propagation of that insect will be 
much diminished. Man has control over the increase 
of many animals, and this extends even to some of the 
insect tribes. The silk worm cannot propagate if the 
proper food is withheld, neither can those vermin who 
multiply in filth or putridity, when the cleansing pro¬ 
cess deprives them of their natural aliment, and I do 
not see why the increase of the grain worm may not al¬ 
so be kept in check on the same principle. If you con¬ 
ceive the above observations to be pertinent, you are at 
liberty to make such use of them as you think proper. 
Your opinion is respectfully solicited, as to the practi¬ 
cability of effecting, and probable result, if effected, of 
such a measure. I am, dear sir, yours respectfully, 
_ JAS. SMEA LLE. 
Remarks on Farm Dwelling Houses. 
Judge Buel —Perceiving by the number of the Cul¬ 
tivator for the 1st of August, which has just reached 
me, that you propose inserting in the number for the 
15th, essays and diagrams on “Farm Dwelling Houses,” 
I would draw your attention to the remark of Mr. Sedg¬ 
wick, in part first of his “Public and Private Econo¬ 
my,” that “we have no good farm houses in America, 
and that he would be a public benefactor who should 
furnish a plan for general use.” The English are too 
ornate and expensive; implying cheapness and subdivi¬ 
sion of labor, and long tenure ; the Americans are too 
large, ill contrived, and regardless of proportions, com¬ 
menced on too large a scale, and never finished, or even 
if finished, most of the rooms kept for show, not use. 
It is bad enough where there is but one room, to sit, 
cook, wash, eat and sleep in that one room; but it is 
still worse to do so, as is very customary among our 
farmers, when you have a number of other rooms un¬ 
occupied. Nothing can be more ludicrous than to ap¬ 
proach a house with lofty Corinthian pillars in front, 
and then enter by a back door, and find the whole fa¬ 
mily huddled together in the kitchen. 
The only branch of the fine arts with which we really 
have any thing to do in this country, architecture, is sadly « 
neglected. Would not articles upon the subject, parti¬ 
cularly upon domestic architecture, come within the 
scope of your journal, and be of great benefit to your 
readers? 
After fitness, convenience, and comfort, comes orna¬ 
ment—and the only ornament necessary in a farm house 
is that which is never considered, to wit, proportion .— 
With it, a house may be beautiful, though perfectly 
plain—without it, all the ornament in the world will but 
make it an object of ridicule to correct taste. 
Intending to build a farm house shortly, my object 
however is to avail myself of your proposed publication, 
and with this view to inquire, what are the advantages 
of stone? Would not one story houses be better than 
two? Is it not advisable to dispense with chimnies al¬ 
together ? And do we not have too many small windows 
instead of a few double windows, opening in the middle 
up and down? MOHAWK. 
The Silk Business. 
J. Buel, Esq.—Dear Sir—You are aware that I am 
strong in the faith, that this country will ere Ions', not 
only supply her own wants in the article of law silk, 
but have a large surplus for Europe. You are also 
aware, that I have given much attention to the subject; 
in fact, have devoted my whole time to it for the last 
nine years, and that I have plantations for making silk, 
and factories for working it, and that thousands are 
now engaged in the same pursuit. Well, sir, notwith¬ 
standing all this, we have daily accounts of persons, who 
assert that the whole affair of silk culture is a “ Hum¬ 
bug.” Almost every paper I take up, has something 
of the kind, intimating that all the excitement on the 
subject at present, is merely for the sale of trees, “spe¬ 
culation,” &c. and advising all within their influence to 
have “nothing to do with it”—that “we cannot raise 
silk in this country, and that it is preposterous to think 
of it.” May I ask you. sir, to permit me the use of 
your columns to discuss the matter with any or all who 
make those assertions? My object is, to have the ques¬ 
tion settled beyond a doubt, and if any of the doubters 
will favor us with the grounds of their unbelief, in our 
ability to raise silk, or that we shall not in ten years, 
supply our wants, at least, from our soil, I pledge my¬ 
self to examine, the subject fully, and if I cannot answer 
them, will confess that I have been deluded and have 
deluded others into the belief, that we can raise silk on 
all our farms, amd to more profit than any other agricul¬ 
tural production, cotton not excepted. I will now assert 
that we can raise silk cheaper than France or Italy, in 
any part of our country from Maine to Mexico, of a 
quality equal to any in the world; and shall esteem it a 
favor to all who are engaged in the business—in fact to 
the country at large, if any of your numerous readers, 
will, in reply to this, state why we cannot do it, or if 
they cannot refute the above, then why we shall not 
seriously engage in the cultivation of raw silk for ex¬ 
portation. SAMUEL WHITMARSH. 
A orthampton . Mass. Aug ust 8, 18 39.^ __ 
S OUTH-DOWN BUCKS ,—Two two year old very 
superior South Down Bucks, clothed with fine wool and 
long, enough for combing, were imported last April, direct 
from England, from the flock of the late John Ellman, Esq. 
of Glynde, near Lewes, Sussex, and are for sale at one hun¬ 
dred dollars each, or to be let for the season at fifty dollars 
each, by the personal friend of the breeder. 
Elizabethtown, N. J. Aug. 20, 1839. OB. ELLIOT. 
O’ The Genesee Farmer and Farmers’ Cabinet, will give 
the above two insertions, and send bill to advertiser. 
